Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Four episodes into Season Two of The Leftovers and we’re invited into the worlds of three families: The Garveys, The Garveys Part II, and the mysterious Murphys. After Kevin (Justin Theroux), Nora (Carrie Coon), Jill (Margaret Qualley), and little Lily move to Miracle, Texas, they’re placed alongside The Murphys: John (Kevin Carroll), Erika (Regina King), and their God-fearing teenage children Michael (Jovan Adepo) and Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown), all upstanding members of the local community who have certainly harnessed some secrets along the way to attain such status in what’s rumored to be the safest place on the planet after the Sudden Departure.
As the emotional second season unfolds, it becomes clearer that the broken Garveys and their new neighbors may have more in common than they think and after young Evie’s inexplicable disappearance, it’s increasingly apparent they’ll need to rely on each other for more than a cup of sugar.
I spoke with patriarch of the Murphy household, Kevin Carroll, who you’ve seen in bit parts all over the tube (or, if you’re a theatergoer, in productions like Angels in America and Take Me Out), about the complexity of his character, how he and his onscreen family have gotten to be so close, and how Damon Lindelof‘s storytelling is as magical as it is challenging.
Decider: How were you first introduced to the role of John Murphy?
Kevin Carroll: It came by way of auditions. I have a pretty great agent right now and she saw this coming down the pipe, so she’s worked on it for a bit to get it to happen. And actually when it came through, it was like one of those days when I had three or four different auditions — one of those rare times when everything comes in at once. And as Damon is known for, there wasn’t a lot of information on the page for the audition, you just saw a great thing between these two guys and you knew there was conflict involved. So I went in with a suit and tie and it was completely wrong: wrong dress, wrong period, wrong everything for the show. [Casting director] Victoria Thomas really gave me a chance to work on it in the room with her. She’s a great actress herself, you would have thought she was on the show already. She was committed to the reading so we jumped in and had a great read, and three or four auditions later I found out that it worked out. And in that time I had to kind of go back and research the show and saw what the feel of the show was, to get it right and get in a better zone for it mentally.
Were you a fan of Damon Lindelof’s and Lost back when it was on?
I worked in theater, so a lot of times I wouldn’t get on board with the shows that ran at night because I worked a late schedule, so I checked in and out of a lot of shows here and there. But Lost was one of those that was always buzzed about in the community, everybody always talked about it. I had a few friends that worked on the show, so I saw it from time to time, but I wasn’t able to follow it as a series. I definitely had an awareness of what the show was, but I hadn’t been able to follow it loyally, as most people who were in love with Lost. But, I see some of those guys from time to time when they go on interviews and when people talk to them, they still talk about Lost all the time, so I know it’s a forced to be reckoned with.
While I was watching Episode One and Four of this season, I was so surprised to learn after the fact that this was your first extensive TV gig. Can you talk a little bit about how you got into this side of the industry?
I started in the theater a long time ago and if you are in the New York community things may fall your way from time to time, especially with so many Law and Order opportunities and different TV shows. There are different TV shows that come through New York and that becomes a part of what you go out for, sort of in the day to day. But booking a TV series is a whole lot different from booking a guest star or a re-occurring [spot] on a show. So you get a chance, as an actor in New York City, to cut your teeth on some of the shows that come down the pipe. I was able to do that. The last two or three years I’ve been dealing with some family stuff and had to leave the business for a little bit, come back but I’ve always maintained sort of a connectivity to the theater world, and being in Los Angeles, I had a chance to keep going in and looking for different television and film opportunities. So when this came down, I said, “I really like this writing. What is this?” I wanted to know more about it. So as it unfolded — to figure out it’s an HBO show, Damon and Lost are behind it — it felt very interesting to me. I love the layers to it, I love the humanity in the character, and I was able to find my way into it.
I was really taken aback at how much you and Regina King, Jovan Adepo, and Jasmin Savoy Brown act like a real family. Like I truly believed your history as a unit. What was the rehearsal process like?
Oddly enough, because of the nature of television, there wasn’t a lot of time to rehearse actually. When we first started, Regina was working on another project in Atlanta, so Jovan, Jasmin, and myself got together a couple of times. Went to dinner, spent a little bit of time together. We were able to understand that the best way to approach the show would be to try to stay out of each other’s way and play — be open to that. The whole thing happened so quickly. For me, I got the call on a Saturday and then I was in Texas doing a sitting on Monday. I was able to meet Jovan on Tuesday and Jasmin maybe on Wednesday. Then we all kind of said hello, gave each other high fives, and just said, “Let’s play, be open, there’s no judgement, let’s find it.” I think we just agreed on an approach that would work for everybody. And later on, Regina came into the show and when she showed up, she brought so much history and experience . It was actually probably a relief to her that it was a balanced group because she was straight off another project, right into this. For her to have to spend a long time getting to know people: a television schedule doesn’t afford you that kind of opportunity. So she showed up and we got to rocking and rolling.
Your character claims he isn’t necessarily a religious man, but he clearly believes in something and we really get to see that in Episode Four. How much do you identify with John Murphy and were there any obstacles along the way as you delved further into the role?
There are some things about my life that I think are similar to John Murphy. If I had to boil it down at this point, I think one of the things would be that, the only thing you can do perfectly in life is not be perfect. I feel like there is an incredible sense of openness as a parent that John Murphy comes from with his children. Like his son doesn’t have to agree with his religious beliefs and he won’t stand in the way of that and he’s not going to be dogmatic about a direction for his son. But, I do think John wants to hold his son accountable, like he wants to hold everyone accountable for their actions. I think that’s what our audience will start to understand at some point. I think the magic of the storytelling — it doesn’t spoon feed you everything up front. If you are a fan of Damon’s, you know some things are answered and some things are not, but more than likely I think John Murphy will become clearer as we go deeper into the season. I’m excited to see what people come up with after some more of this is revealed. It’s exciting to see.
Just speaking as an audience member, as great as The Leftovers is, it can also be super emotional. Does it ever get to you being so immersed in that world?
It can and it does. And the great thing about the way the story evolved and revolved is that sometimes you’re on a bit of a run with things while other times other storylines become more highlighted so you are not as immersed in the same way. So there’s an ebb and flow in the rhythm of the show that’s relieving. But I don’t think it’s all of the actors that get put through the writing, emotionally. I think a lot of the writing room, I think those guys leave it on the field, so to speak. They come to the writers room and it really costs them something to write, a part of them that they expose on that level, and then when it makes it to the table, where we are. I think the whole team goes through a similar process. Kudos to HBO for really supporting this kind of artistry, where we are challenging people in a way for the collective conversation of humanity on that level. It’s not an easy process. Everyone that’s involved, that created it, had to give something up when they come to the table with this. The actors realize as much as it’s taxing for us, that it’s coming from people who have also been taxed with getting it on the page.
I saw that you’ve dabbled between network television and independent film over the years, but what’s different about being tied with HBO these days?
It’s kind of like traveling, where people make the place. In every different collective that you’ve been to, it takes on its own dynamic. It’s hard to give a general brushstroke of different. It’s about difference in ideals that people have and the way they work in artistry, in projects, what you want to say. With a different team there’s going to be slightly different elements. There’s budgets involved, the level of artistry you’re working on. Some independent films can vary. But HBO is tried and tested and everything from top to bottom feels supportive of the process. It feels like, we as a company, are on the same wavelength in terms of what we are trying to do and accomplish goal wise. We’ll find a piece of material that everybody bought into and we’ll spring to life, where everybody from directors to the crew work really hard in bringing the best they can bring to the table, everyday. If there’s any difference I would say that there’s a pride that goes along with being a part of HBO. We all know the brand and know what it meant, as someone who grew up having HBO. There’s a pride in the brand. Here, everything from top to bottom is supportive, it’s clear so the artists can do what they are suppose to do and that’s a relief. It feels great.
New episodes of The Leftovers air Sunday nights at 9 PM on HBO, HBO Go, and HBO Now.
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Photos: HBO
